Who hasn’t eaten there? If you’re reading this and you haven’t then you stand very lonely in that minority. Even as others give it up in regards to healthier eating, there aren’t many people who don’t harbor fond memories of Big Macs and fries from their youth.

McDonald’s has franchises that scatter the globe. Those golden arches are one of the most recognizable brand images throughout the world. What are the things they did that made them grow so large and so successfully?

Theirs was a restaurant and a franchise that was built on extremely sound business concepts. They provided a product that people loved.  They did an amazing job of branding, with brand recognition spreading far past those golden arches. The names of their foods are recognized worldwide. Not to mention the beloved cast of children’s characters they created to identify with their company. This drew in generation after generation of child who would take their children someday to McDonald’s for their first Big Mac and experience with Ronald McDonald.

McDonald’s built itself on consistency and recognition. Those two factors helped it spread throughout the world to have more franchises in the globe than any other company.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to rush out and try to acquire a McDonald’s franchise. But there are lessons to be learned.

Consistency is something that people look for in a franchise. When they see a name they recognize they want to be greeted with a product they know and trust. Individuality and originality might be great tools in marketing for your franchise, but when it comes to presentation, product, and service, people want to know exactly what they’re getting. The closer a franchise sticks to the vision of the original company the more people will be likely to return.

Recognition is the other big factor in success. If you are operating a well known franchise you have the advantage. All you have to do is try and increase the visibility as much as you can.

I remember driving across the country, and so often driving into a new city the first thing you spot is those golden arches. If all of our franchises could get that same kind of visibility, I think we’d all be very happy with the results.